I came up on the fence faster than I thought. The whole time I spent running nothing a blur in my memory.
Just as I feared, the tracks continued beyond the fenceline but I couldn't help but notice, the fence isn't damaged. It almost— looks like it was opened.
I followed the stagnating tracks all the way to the treeline, more cautiously; ready to jump straight into a fight, but I haven't heard any gunshots yet.
Normally that would be good but none of this is adding up.
I can't tell how many bodies there are from just these tracks, but it's more than one or two. That I'm certain of.
Shouting reached my ears as I came through the trees onto the grass field.
I almost tripped to a stop when I saw Jimmy leading two walkers towards the barn like a piece of bait; Rick and Hershel, handling them on the ends of snare poles behind him. All 4 of them iced like cake, in the very mud coating my own boots.
What in fresh Hell is going on?
Shouting erupted as Shane arrived on scene; running down from the house. The rest of the group not far behind him but at this distance I can't make out what they're saying.
I don't really need to hear the words. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what they're probably yelling about.
I ran as fast as my legs could push me across the distance between us.
Shane shouting like it's his career isn't unusual but 90% of the group packin' serious firearms and surrounding a couple a walker's on leashes like it's a damn underground fight? I'm not sure what to think.
"They're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna kill all of us unless we do somethin—"
"Shane, shut up!" Rick yelled, struggling to keep hold of the walker.
My chest heaved as I finally reached Daryl.
I looked at him for explanation but he only jerked his head towards the scene unfolding before us.
Focusing on Shane's shouting, while the man stormed circles around Rick & Hershel, I tried to clue myself in.
Rick's walker flailed and it's arms swung towards me. I reflexively pulled my piece, jumping back as I trained it on the coveralled male walker.
"Hey Hershel, let me ask you somethin' man. Could a livin' breathin' person. Could they walk away from this?" Shane pulled his piece and shot Hershel's female walker 3 times in the torso.
"No!" Rick shouted.
Everyone flinched back, or like Daryl and myself, tensed to the point of almost pulling the trigger.
This is why you don't put your finger on the trigger 'till you intend to pull it.
"Stop it!" Rick shouted again but I can almost see it bounce right off Shane's skull.
"That's three rounds in the chest." Shane shouted. "Could someone who's alive, could they just take that?! Why's it still coming?" he pointed at Hershel's walker, before firing again.
"That's its heart, its lungs. Why's it still comin!?" he yelled, aiming again.
I watched the conviction melt out of Hershel's composure, as he watched the bullets lodge themselves in the unimpeded walker.
"Shane enough!" Rick shouted again, only this time it didn't fall on deaf ears.
"Yeah you right, man." Shane stalked towards Hershel's leashed walker. "That is enough."
One shot to the head. Like a goddamn drive by, and the corpse crumpled to the dirt; seeping stale blood onto the ground as it took Hershel to his knees with it when he tried to hold on.
My lungs ceased with a glimpse of Shane's eyes and before I realized it, the nose of my piece was following him as his mass of almost pure rage stalked back and forth between them and the barn.
"Enough, riskin' our lives for a little girl who's gone!"
"Ey" Daryl growled lowly beside me. I tried to look at him but my eyes wouldn't tear from Officer hot-head; not while he was stalking around unpredictably.
I couldn't stop myself from drawing alarming parallels. My throat ran dry, blood freezing in my veins. My heart thundered painfully against my chest. I could feel my pulse beating against my cold skin. Everything skyrocketed in to hyper-awareness; I stopped myself from pulling the trigger by a hair's breadth again and again; with every little jerk and unexpected move Shane made.
"Enough livin' next to a barn full a things that are tryna kill us. Enough."
Shane tucked his gun into his waistband. "Rick it ain't like it was before."
"Now if y'all wanna live— if you wanna survive. You gotta fight for it. And I'm talkin' bout fight. Right here, Right now." Shane ran for the barn doors.
"Take the snare pole. Hershel! Herhsel, take the snare pole!" Rick shoved the stick towards Hershel but the old man was unresponsive; on his knees, staring at the walker corpse in front of him, making no move to do as Rick asked.
"Hershel, listen to me, man, please. Take it now." Rick tried desperately but Hershel didn't budge in the slightest. He almost looks as if none of this is happening around him.
He's not even there anymore.
"Hershel! Take it!" Rick shouted, as I watched Shane grab a pickaxe and go at the barn door with the flat top.
It took me a moment to realize what he's doing but he's riling up the walkers inside.
I moved to stop Shane but Rick's walker flailed into my path. I short stopped and my boots slid in the dirt, knocking me off balance .
The back of my jacket pulled before the walker could grab my arm and my stomach soared as I fell and my arm shot out, catching me as the side of my thigh hit the dirt.
My gun clattered against the ground in my hand and a hand encircled my bicep as my heels dug into the ground, rushing to push myself backward, out of reach.
"Do not do this brother!" Rick shouted at the top of his hoarse lungs, but it did nothing to stop Shane.
I aimed at the walker as Daryl pulled me to my feet and let go once I was up, to re-aim his shotgun with both hands.
"Don't do it!" Glenn shouted over other voices as everyone began shouting.
Shane tossed the plank holding the door shut off and hit the barn door with his palms. "Come on. Come on, we're out 'ere!"
I glanced at Daryl as I scrambled to get to my feet, kicking up a whirlwind of dust in my wake.
"This is not the way! Please!" Rick shouted again, his voice growing more hoarse with each desperate shout.
Shane came back to the edge of the group and the doors pushed open as he raised his piece.
Andrea ran up on Shane's right as the walkers started to pour from the doors like a river breaking a damn.
I moved with Daryl to Shane's left and fired my first shot a millisecond before Daryl's shotgun went off.
T-Dog came up between Daryl and Shane, joining the shooting.
Glenn ran up on Andrea's other side and fired his own shotgun.
The walkers went down one after another, with almost every fire. The shotgun took off massive chunks of flesh but weren't hitting the head every time.
I didn't think a pistol could be more effective than a shotgun in a situation like this but apparently I live to be proven wrong.
I barely noticed Shane turning and sparing a shot to Rick's leashed walker but I heard it hit the ground behind me, even over all this gunfire.
The final walker fell with the last gunshot and I spared a glance down the firing line we've created in front of the mass corpses littering the ground between us and the enormous wooden structure.
I caught Daryl's eyes as he lowered his shotgun, while the others began turning away from the massacre we just inflicted.
I was about to follow suit when a growl drew my eyes and my piece back to the barn.
I waited for the walker to come out, and when it did, my lungs collapsed.
A small walker covered head to toe in dirt, stepped out into the light. Cloudy sunken eyes scrunched against the sunlight until they fixed on us. A filthy blue rainbow t-shirt hung off one shoulder; leaving an old blood crusted bite mark on her neck, exposed.
My knees hit the ground but all that registered wasthe shockwave sent up my body from the impact. The thick, far-off clattering of my gun hitting the dirt, echoed in my ears as if my head's underwater.
"Sophia"
